The Paterson administration has given bidders for the controversial Aqueduct gambling contract the right to “black out” controversial or revealing information before their documents are made public tomorrow, The Post has learned.
Paterson aides notified the five final bidders, including winner Aqueduct Entertainment Group, that they would get the right of redaction after the governor’s unexpected promise last week to make public all documents related to the decision.
“The bidders submitted information about their investors and about their companies to the state with the understanding that it would be kept confidential, because of proprietary concerns,” said a lobbyist close to one bidder.
“Now the governor says he’s going to make it all public, unless we say what parts of it we don’t want disclosed? That’s embarrassing to everyone,” the lobbyist said.
Paterson’s promise of disclosure came in the wake of a refusal by the state Lottery Division, which vetted the five bidders, to make public any information relating to the bidders.
It also came after the disclosure that the Manhattan US Attorney had begun a potentially criminal probe of the selection of AEG, one of whose investors is politically connected Rev. Floyd Flake of Queens.